Villarreal defeat Elche and become the first team to win away at the Martínez Valero this season
Villarreal CF start the year in the best possible way. The Yellows beat Elche (1–3) and collect three hugely valuable points at the Martínez Valero, a stadium where no visiting side had managed to win this season. Creating danger in space and defending with authority, the Submarine overcame a strong opponent. Villarreal’s goals came from Moleiro and Mikautadze in the first half, and Pedraza in the second.
The Submarine opened 2026 with a demanding test, aiming to win where no one else had. A major challenge for Marcelino García Toral’s side, who travelled to the Martínez Valero to face Elche CF, one of the breakout teams of LALIGA EA Sports—an adventurous, brave side that has turned its home ground into a fortress.
To chase victory in Elche, Marcelino named a starting XI with Luiz Júnior in goal; Mouriño, Pau Navarro, Rafa Marín and Pedraza at the back; Parejo and Comesaña in midfield; Moleiro and Pepe on the wings; and Ayoze and Mikautadze up front.
The Groguets flew out of the blocks. They exploited space to transition quickly, and the plan worked perfectly. Villarreal created danger from the outset. In the second minute, Nicolas Pepe failed to control a superb through ball from Moleiro that would have left him one-on-one with Iñaki Peña.
After that early warning, the Submarine struck. Just five minutes later, Moleiro made it 0–1 with a sublime finish. The midfielder received a perfectly timed pass from Mikautadze and placed the ball inside the post and into the net.
Villarreal were an attacking whirlwind. With every ball recovery they broke quickly, putting Elche under serious threat. Before the quarter-hour mark, a move between Nicolas Pepe and Georges Mikautadze ended in goal making it 0–2. The Georgian latched onto a fine through ball from the Ivorian and finished brilliantly to put the match firmly in Villarreal’s favour.
Marcelino’s side had their opponents on the ropes and even came close to a third shortly after. Santi Comesaña finished another transition attack, but his effort narrowly missed the target.
Despite Villarreal’s strong start, the game was far from over at the Martínez Valero. Just before the half-hour, Elche pulled one back with a fine strike from Neto. The local midfielder unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the box to make it 1–2.
Villarreal responded quickly. Ayoze fired from inside the area, but his effort was superbly saved by the Elche goalkeeper.
The final stretch of the first half saw Elche enjoy more possession, pinning Villarreal back, winning duels and forcing them to defend close to Luiz Júnior’s goal. Their chances, however, failed to hit the target.
Early in the second half, Villarreal missed the chance to make it 1–3. Mikautadze got in behind his marker and went one-on-one with Iñaki Peña. The Georgian attempted a chip, but sent the ball over the crossbar.
Elche continued to grow with the ball and at times the Submarine were forced to defend deep. They looked to counter, but lacked sharpness in the final pass. Marcelino freshened up the attack with the introductions of Gerard and Oluwaseyi.
In the 83rd minute, Cardona played a ball into space for Pedraza to unleash one of his trademark runs. Showing courage, the Córdoba native burst into the box and beat Iñaki Peña to make it 1–3, sealing a victory of merit and prestige for Marcelino’s Villarreal.
